Conveyer



April 25, 1939. H. Q LATHRO@ 2,156,020

CONVEYER Filed Aug. 22, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Z9 k k, 55

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Patented Apr. 25, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT GFFICE CONVEYER Harry D. Lathrop, Chicago, Ill., assigner to The Lathrop-Paulson Co., a corporation of Illinois Application August 22, 1936, Serial No. 97,445 12 Claims. (Cl. 198-137) This invention relates to conveyer apparatus 22 and 23. Rail arms 22 and 23, preferably and more particularly to` apparatus adapted to identical, are provided at their top ends with convey bottles and other articles of varying dijaws 24 which may be tightened about rails 2U mensions. and 2I by bolts 25. 'Ihe rail arms 22 and 23 An object of the invention is to provide conare pivotally mounted on frame A at bearings I5 5- veyer apparatus of simple and sturdy construcand I6 by pins 26. Arms 22 and 23 have lower tion which may conveniently be adjusted to acextensions 21 which are provided with pins or commodate bottles and other articles of various shafts V23 and V29. It is understood that there widths and sizes. A specic object is to provide may be several arms such as rail arm 22 on one '11o improved means for adjusting the guide rails side of the chain and the extension 21 on all of 10 to allow articles of different sizes to pass between these arms may be connected by shaft 28, and them and improved means for holding the rails similarly shaft 29 may engage extensions on all in a desired position. arms 23.

Other objects and advantages will appear as The means C for rotating arms 20 about their the specification proceeds. pivoted points includes a rocker shaft 30, the l5 The invention is illustrated in a preferred emupper end of which contains a slot 3| which enbodiment by the accompanying drawings, in gages shaft 29. The lower end of rocker arm 30' whichis pivotally connected with link 32 which is in Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view showing turn pivotally connected to shaft 8. A rocker the rails in position to accommodate a larger shaft 33 journalled in bearing I6 of frame A is I20 bottle, the section being taken as indicated at keyed to the center portion of rocker arm 30. lines I--l oi Fig. 3; Fig. 2, a view similar to Fig. The link 32 contains a slot 34 through which 1 but showing the rails in position to accommoshaft 33 may extend and which allows link 32 to date a smaller bottle; Fig. 3, a side view in ele- 'move laterally as arm 30 is rotated.

vation of the device; and Fig. 4, a vertical sec- Also secured to rocker shaft 33 is the crank 25 tional view showing the frame structure, the arm 35 which is equipped With a spring-pressed section being taken as indicated at lines 4 4 lever 3.6. Lever 36 is equipped at its end with a of Fig. 3. pin 31 which is urged by the spring through In the illustration given, A represents a frame; aperture 38 in lever 36 and through one of aper- B the guide rails and their supporting arms; and tures I8 in locking plate I1. 30 C, a means for moving the rail arms about their In the operatori of the device when it is desired pivots. to convey relatively small bottles or articles, the

The frame A may be of any suitable construcoperator grasps crank and lever 36, compresstion. As illustrated it comprises the side Inerning the spring and moving pin 31 out of engage- `35 bers Hl and II between which are the upper ment with plate I1. By pulling crank 35 down- '35 and lower chain supports I2 and I3. Chain wardly rocker shaft 33 is caused to rotate which guides I 4 may be provided for guiding the movein return causes rotation of rocker arm 30. vment of the chain. At the upper ends of mem- Shaft 29 slides along slot 3l and rail arms .23 are bers I0 and Il are' apertured bearings l5 and moved about their pivots causing rail 2i to move 40 I6 in which rail arms may be mounted. Meminwardly toward the center of chain I9. At the 40 ber II contains apertured bearing I6 which is same time link 32 moves laterally, slot 34 movadapted to receive the rocker shaft. Secured to ing over rocker shaft 33 and causes rail arms 20 member iI is the locking plate I1 containing to move about their pivots which brings rails 2i) apertures I8 for receiving the locking pin. inwardly toward the center of the chain I9.

'45 A conveyer chain I9 may pass over the top Adjustment for bottles or articles of larger 45 chain support l2 and return over the lower chain size may be had by moving crank arm 35 in upsupport I3. The chain may be of any suitable ward direction in Awhich case movements of the type and driven by any suitable means, but it various parts are in direction opposite that set is preferred to employ a continuous chain comout above.

posed of pivotally connected units. A cross- The rails may be locked in one of several posi- 50 section of one link of such a chain is sho-wn in tions as desired by allowing pin 31 to engage one Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings. of' the several apertures I8 in plate I1.

The guide rails 2U and 2I are tubular members It will be observed that when large bottles are located above and at each side of the conveyer being conveyed, the rails are moved upwardly y chain I9. They are supported by the rail arms and outwardly, while when smaller bottles are 55 conveyed, the rails are moved downwardly and inwardly, thereby maintaining the rails in substantially the same relative position with respect to the height of the bottles.

While in the foregoing description I have described a specific construction, it will be understood that great variation can be made from the details shown without departing from the spirit of my invention. The detailed description has been given for clearness of understanding only,

and no unnecessary limitations should be understood therefrom, but the appended claims should be construed as broadly as permissible, in view of the prior art.

I claim:

1. In a device of the character set forth: a frame; a conveyer chain supported in said frame; guide rails spaced apart on each side of the center of said chain, said rails being supported by rail arms pivotally supported at fixed points in said frame; and singly actuated means for moving said rail arms about their pivots to vary the vertical position of said rails and the spacing between them.

2. In a device of the character set forth: a frame; a conveyer chain supported in said frame; guide rails above and at the sides of said chain; pivotally supported rail arms having their top ends attached to said rails, said rail arms being equipped with extensions below their points of pivot; and means engaging the lower ends of said extensions for moving said rail arms about their pivots whereby said rails are moved toward or away from each other.

3. A device of the character set forth, comprising: a frame; a conveyer chain supported in said frame; guide rails above and at the sides of said chain; rail arms pivotally mounted in said frame, said arms being movable about a substantially horizontal aXis and attached to said rails; a rocker member pivotally mounted on said frame; means for pivotally connecting said member at its one end to a rail arm on the other side of said chain; and means for moving said member about its pivot to simultaneously move said rails toward or away from the center of said chain.

4. A device of the character set forth, comprising: a frame; a conveyer chain supported in said frame; spaced guide rails above and on each side of said chain, said rails being supported by rail arms pivotally supported on said frame on fixed substantially horizontal axes; mean for moving said arms simultaneously about their pivots to vary the spacing between said rails, said means including a pivoted rocker member having its ends movably connected with rail arms on different sides of said chain.

5. A device of the character set forth, comprising: a frame; a conveyer chain supported in said frame; spaced guide rails above and on each side of said chain, said rails being supported by rail arms pivoted about iixed points in said frame; means for moving said arms simultaneously about their pivots to vary the spacing between said rails, said means including a rocker shaft held in said frame, a rocker member having its one end movably connected with at least one rail arm on one side of said chain, and a link connecting the other end of said member with at least one rail arm on the other side of said chain, said link containing a slot which is engaged by said shaft.

6. A device of the character set forth, comprising: spaced guide rails above and on each side of each chain, said rails being supported by vrail arms pivoted about xed horizontal axes in said frame; means for moving said arms simultaneously about their pivots to vary the spacing between said rails; and means for releasably holding said arms in a predetermined angular position about their pivots.

7. A device of the character set forth, comprising: a frame; a conveyer chain supported in said frame; spaced guide rails above and on each side of said chain, said rails being supported by rail arms pivoted about fixed points in said frame; means for moving said arms simultaneously about their pivots to vary the spacing between said rails; said means including a rocker shaft held in said frame, a rocker member secured to said shaft, said member having its one end movably connected with a rail arm on one side of said chain and its other end movably connected to a rail arm on the other side of said chain; and a crank arm also secured to said shaft, said crank arm being equipped with releasably locking means for engaging said frame.

8. In combination with conveyer apparatus including: a frame and equipped with a conveyer chain and guide rails; rail arms pivotally mounted about substantially horizontal axes in said frame and supporting said guide rails; a rocker shaft supported in said frame and connecting means between said shaft and said arms for securing an arm on one side of said chain in position for rotation in the same direction as said shaft and for securing an arm on the other side of said shaft in position for rotation in a direction opposite that of said shaft.

9. A device of the character set forth, comprising: a frame; a conveyer chain supported in said frame; spaced guide rails above and on each side of said chain, said rails being supported by rail arms pivoted about i'lXed points in said frame; means for moving said arms simultaneously about their pivots to vary the spacing between said rails, said means including a rocker shaft held in said frame, a rocker member having its one end movably directly connected with at least one rail arm on one side of said chain, and a link connecting the other end of said member with at least one rail arm on the other side of said chain.

10. A device of the character set forth, comprising: a frame; a conveyer chain supported in said frame; spaced guide rails above and on each side of said chain, said rails being supported by rail arms pivoted about fixed points in said frame; means for moving said arms simultaneously about their pivots to vary the spacing between said rails; said means including a rocker shaft held in said frame, a rocker member secured to said shaft, said member having its one end movably directly connected with a rail arm on one side of said chain and its other end movably connected to a rail arm on the other side of said chain; and means for eifecting a turning movement of said shaft to vary the spacing between said rails.

1l. A device of the character set forth, comprising: a frame; a conveyer chain supported in said frame; spaced guide rails above and on each side of said chain, said rails being supported by rail arms pivotally supported at fixed points in said frame to rock on substantially horizontal axes; means for moving said arms simultaneously about their pivots to vary the spacing between said rails, said means including a rocker shaft held in said frame, a rocker member having its one end movably connected with at least one rail arm on one side of said chain, and a link connecting the other 4end of said member with at least one rail arm on the other side of said chain.

l2. A device of the character set forth, comprising: a frame; a conveyer chain supported in said frame; spaced guide rails above and on each side of said chain, said rails being supported by rail arms pivotally supported at xed points in said frame to rock on substantially horizontal axes; means for moving said arms simultaneously 10 about their pivots to Vary the spacing between said rails, said means including a rocker shaft held in said frame, a rocker member secured to said shaft, said member having its one end movably connected with a rail arm on one side of said chain and at its other end movably connected to a rail arm on the other side of said chain; and means for eiecting a turning movement of said shaft to vary the spacing between said rails.

HARRY D. LATHROP. 

